The World of Work: HR, Workplace Culture, Leadership, Social Media, & Technology

5 Underrated Hands-On Careers to Consider

These 5 careers are all great for people who like to work with their hands, so make sure you consider them when looking for a new job.

1. Plumber

Plumbing is one of those things that we tend to take for granted. If it’s working as it should be, it doesn’t even enter our minds. But when things go wrong, you have a huge problem to deal with. Plumbers will always be in demand, and the pay is pretty decent too. It’s a job that requires you to be good at working with your hands and fixing, often complex, problems. There are hot pipes, dirty cramped spaces, clogged up pipes and lots of general mess to contend with. If you’re happy to do the dirty parts of the job, it could be the ideal hands-on job for you.

2. Massage Therapist

People often think about fixing cars or other labor intensive jobs when they hear the phrase ‘hands-on’. But there’s no reason that hands-on jobs have to be messy, hard work. In fact, one of the most popular hands-on jobs is very therapeutic. Massage therapist careers are becoming more popular, so it could be a good career option for you. In this job, you’ll be able to help people relax, reduce stress and also recover from injuries. It’s great for people who want to work in a hands-on job without doing a laboring job.

3. Carpenter

If you enjoy DIY and building things around the home, you are basically doing carpentry. This is something a lot of people do, but not many people decide to turn it into a career. If you want to take your love of DIY one step further, you should definitely think about taking up a career in carpentry. It’s the job of a carpenter to make and repair things. They build chairs, tables and lots of the other household items that we’re all familiar with. They also get to work with lots of tools, and this appeals to some people.

4. Injection Molder

There are lots of different types of injection molding. But they all do a similar kind of thing. The only thing that changes is the material that’s used. Some companies do injection molding with glass and others do it with plastic. The material is injected into a pre-set mold to create a product. Lots of different manufacturing companies use this process, so there are lots of opportunities out there. If you want to get started in this career, you should attend some scientific molding seminars.

5. Chef

Chefs use their hands each and every day to prepare food. They work in fast, high-pressure environments. You know the old saying: if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Well, it’s true; you definitely need to be able to handle the heat and the stress if you want to work as a professional chef. Many people decide to start a career as a chef because they enjoy cooking in their free time, so why not do the same? It can be a great and rewarding job with lots of opportunities if you’re willing to put in the work.

Are there other hands-on jobs that should be added to my list? Leave a comment below.